Mash Up~

[She's] a college drop out who once backpacked around India looking for spiritual enlightenment and her low profile has helped her remain largely unknown over the past years.  But, fast-forward to present-day, she is now the Vice-President of the Versace Group and the Chief Designer, overseeing a dozen collections every year.  But don't let the black mock turtleneck and denim trousers fool you, the 49-year-old born on May 2, 1955, made it clear that she was better suited to be more involved in the design aspect of the business.  It may have been her older brother who founded the Versace fashion empire, but as a canny CEO who knows how to sell product, she has had a hand in its success from the very beginning.  She said she started her career at a "golden period" but the American and former model defied financial hardships, cheating business partners and intimidation from local mafia, shooting up more than 70% over the past year, to build up her wealth to pursue her dream of becoming the "empress of waste paper".  Explain her success sounds a little like a CEO doing her job, maybe that's because she is- and a mighty fine one that is revered by tech and design geeks alike.  But the world's business-school students may have the most to learn from her.

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/fashion/donatella.asp

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2006-10/13/content_707587.htm

http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1733748_1733758_1736089,00.html